The Group of Seven (G7), formerly the Group of Eight (G8) - Council on Foreign Relations Council on Foreign Relations The Group of Seven (G7) Connect With Us: The Group of Seven (G7) Authors: Zachary Laub , Senior Copy Editor/Writer, and James McBride , Senior Online Writer/Editor, Economics Updated: June 2, 2015 See More of the Most Viewed Introduction The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal bloc of industrialized democracies--the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom--that meets annually to discuss issues such as global economic governance, international security, and energy policy. Proponents say the forum's small and relatively homogenous membership promotes collective decision making, but critics note that it often lacks follow through and excludes important emerging powers. Russia belonged to the forum from 1998 through 2014--then the Group of Eight (G8)--but was suspended after its annexation of Crimea in March of that year.

With tensions over Ukraine deepening, concerns over the eurozone's economic future growing, and the larger G20 serving as an alternative forum, the future of the G7 bloc is unclear. Membership France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States formed the Group of Six in 1975 (Canada joined the following year) to provide a venue for the non-Communist powers to address pressing economic concerns, which at the time included inflation and a recession sparked by the OPEC oil embargo. Cold War politics invariably entered the group's agenda. The European Union has participated fully in the G7 since 1981 as a "nonenumerated" member. It is represented by the presidents of the European Council, which represents the EU member states' leaders, and the European Commission, the EU's executive body. There is no formal criteria for membership, but participants are all developed democracies. The aggregate GDP of G7 member states makes up nearly 50 percent of the global economy. Unlike the United Nations or NATO, the G7 is not a formal institution with a charter and a secretariat. Instead, the presidency, which rotates annually among member states, is responsible for setting the agenda and arranging logistics.

Ministers and envoys, known as sherpas, hammer out policy initiatives at meetings that precede the annual summit of national leaders. The Russian Outlier Russia formally joined the group in 1998 after partially participating in prior years' summits. U.S. president Bill Clinton thought that admitting Russia to the exclusive club would lend the country international prestige and encourage its first post-Soviet leader, Boris Yeltsin, to consolidate democratic gains and hew more closely to the West. Clinton also believed that membership would help mollify Russia as the NATO security alliance opened its doors to former Soviet satellites in Eastern Europe. But Clinton's decision to include Russia drew pushback from within the G7. Among the detractors, the U.S. Treasury and other finance ministries were wary of coordinating global economic policy with Russia, which at the time had a relatively small economy and large public debt. Indeed, the ministerial track for finance continued to meet as the G7, even as leaders and foreign ministers convened as the G8. Russia's backsliding toward authoritarianism under President Vladimir Putin made starker the disjunction between Moscow and the other members, as did its foreign policy.

At the 2013 summit in Northern Ireland, Russia's patronage of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the midst of the Syrian civil war stood in marked contrast to the position of the other member states. Putin resisted other members' demands that the summit's communiqué call for Assad to leave office. Russia held the G8 presidency for the first time in 2006 and once again in 2014, though effectively only for a few weeks, as Moscow's annexation of Crimea in March 2014 drew swift censure from its peers. "We will suspend our participation in the G8 until Russia changes course and the environment comes back to where the G8 is able to have a meaningful discussion," the G7 leaders said in a joint statement . The decision of the seven other members to pull out of the planned 2014 summit in Sochi, Russia, and meet instead as a reconstituted G7 in Brussels was little more than a symbolic diplomatic step, many analysts say. The measure is "basically a reprimand saying you're not in our club, you don't meet certain standards of international behavior, much less domestic behavior," says CFR Senior Fellow Stewart Patrick .

Worsening Relations As the conflict between Ukraine's military and Russian-backed rebel forces in eastern Ukraine has intensified, the United States and Europe have ratcheted up sanctions in an effort to further isolate Russia. In April 2014 G7 leaders met to coordinate sanctions against Russia, although members diverged on how far to go and which entities to target. The EU, which has deep economic ties to Russia, imposed penalties on a number of state officials and pro-Russia separatist leaders, but did not initially join the United States in sanctioning several prominent Russian businessmen, including Igor Sechin, chairman of the state-owned oil firm Rosneft. As Russia fell into a deep recession in 2015, G7 leaders tied the lifting of sanctions to the successful implementation of the Minsk accords. The political calculus shifted in July 2014, when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine, apparently hit by antiaircraft missiles fired by the Russia-backed rebels. The death of all 298 passengers hardened the EU's position against Russia, and on July 30, the G7 announced an expanded set of sanctions.

"Regrettably however, Russia has not changed course," the leaders' statement read , "We believe it is essential to demonstrate to the Russian leadership that it must stop its support for the separatists in eastern Ukraine." In September 2014, the United States and the EU again tightened sanctions on Russia, including restrictions on major Russian financial, energy, and arms enterprises. As Russia fell into a deep recession in 2015, G7 leaders tied the lifting of sanctions to the successful implementation of the Minsk accords, a peace plan that called for a cease-fire and a withdrawal of heavy weaponry from eastern Ukraine. However, the Minsk agreement has been largely ignored, and Russia announced sanctions of its own against eighty-nine European officials in May 2015. Still, some prominent European business leaders argue that continuing to isolate Russia does more harm than good. Reviving the G7 For many observers, the crisis in Ukraine reconfirmed Russia's standing as an outlier in the group. "The G8 never really made sense," says James Goldgeier , dean of American University's School of International Service.

The political expedient Clinton sought in Russia's relations with the West did not pay off, and alternative forums, including the UN Security Council, for Western contact with Russia existed all along, he says. "The G8 never really made sense."--James Goldgeier, American University The reconstituted G7 will likely be better poised to facilitate collective action, experts say. Without Russia, the group is more "like-minded and capable," says Patrick, with both common interests and common values. But while suspending Russia may have improved the G7's ability to speak with one voice, many analysts note that voice is not as influential as it once was. "As new players have emerged in recent decades, the global power balance has shifted, leaving the G7 representative of a smaller piece of the pie. Any organization that does not include China, for example, is not truly global," wrote Ian Bremmer , president of the Eurasia Group, in March 2014. The G8 often garnered criticism for its failure to deliver on ambitious commitments, particularly with respect to development assistance. Civil society organizations drew attention to noncompliance and a lack of transparency, and since 2010, members have published an annual accountability report .

Meanwhile, various nongovernmental organizations do scorekeeping of their own. Whether the revived G7 improves on the G8's record remains to be seen. For the near future, including the June 2015 summit in Bavaria, the G7's agenda remains focused on the mitigating the crisis in Ukraine and promoting economic recovery, especially for eurozone countries that have seen persistent low growth, high unemployment, and the threat of deflation. Splits remain between countries like Germany and Canada, which want economic policy to focus on reducing budget deficits and implementing structural reforms--the philosophy known as "austerity"--and others, including the United States , that want countries to use a "full toolkit" of fiscal and monetary policies to revive growth and domestic demand. Meanwhile, hanging over the G7's proceedings is the ongoing threat that Greece could default on its debt obligations, which could mean exiting the eurozone and potentially sparking an EU-wide financial crisis in the process. Rise of the G20 Many analysts believe the power and prestige of the Group of Twenty (G20), a forum of finance ministers and central bank governors from nineteen of the world's largest countries plus the European Union, has surpassed that of the G7.

Emerging powers such as China, Brazil, India, Mexico, and South Africa, whose absence from the G8 was often noted, all belong to the G20. (Russia remains a member of the G20, which, Patrick says, "is much more where they belong.") U.S. President Barack Obama seemed to affirm this in 2011, calling the G20 the " premier forum for global economic coordination." Many observers note that the forum was most effective during the financial crisis. (G20 leaders first met in Washington in 2008 after the fall of Lehman Brothers.) "The Washington summit in 2008 and the London summit in 2009 did much to avert a new great depression," writes the Brookings Institution's Thomas Wright . "Unprecedented cooperation between the world's largest economies provided liquidity that limited the contagion of the banking crisis, kept markets open and prevented countries from resorting to protectionism, and provided a stimulus that cushioned the drop in growth." But as that sense of urgency subsided, multilateral consensus was harder to come by.

" We are now living in a G-Zero world , one in which no single country or bloc of countries has the political and economic leverage--or the will--to drive a truly international agenda," wrote Bremmer and economist Nouriel Roubini in Foreign Affairs in 2011. For the time being, the G20 seems unlikely to replicate its preeminence in economic governance in the realm of international security. Mexico hosted the first meeting of G20 foreign ministers in February 2012, but that appears to have been a one-off event. At the November 2014 G20 summit, hosted by Australia, leaders adopted a plan to boost their economies by a collective 2.1 percent, a target seen as highly ambitious given the poor performance of the European and Russian economies. The next meeting, to be held in Turkey in November 2015, will also focus on the global economic recovery. Smaller Is Often Better Some global governance experts assert that Russia's fallout with the G7 is a belated recognition that smaller international forums comprising like-minded states are preferable over larger, more diverse groupings.

"When it comes down to the choice of doing 'global and ineffectual,' or 'limited with coherent leadership,' the latter is the lesser of two evils. We need to learn that lesson, both in terms of how we organize coalitions of countries with aligned interests and ideals, and in terms of how we brace for global shocks," wrote Bremmer. Some global governance experts assert that Russia's fallout with the G7 is a belated recognition that smaller international forums comprised of like-minded states are often preferable over larger, more diverse groupings. Rather than a "G-Zero" world, CFR's Patrick foresees a " G-x world "--one of "multi-multilateralism"--where states adopt an ad hoc approach to collective action, "coalescing in a bewildering array of issue-specific and sometimes transient bodies depending on their situational interests, shared values, and relevant capabilities." For Patrick, the reconstituted G7 serves as one such useful forum among many. Additional Resources The University of Toronto's G8 Information Center compiles primary sources from ministerial meetings and summits, analysis, and compliance studies. The UK Department for International Development compiled the most recent accountability report for the erstwhile G8.

The Overseas Development Institute , a British think tank, critiques the official report's methodology. Ian Bremmer and Nouriel Roubini argue in this 2011 Foreign Affairs essay that the heyday of the G7 and G20 has passed, saying: "We are now living in a G-Zero world." Bremmer revisited the argument in the New Statesman in 2013. More on this topic from CFR Our Journey | g7+ Our Journey » Our Journey Our Journey “We, the member countries of the g7+, believe fragile states are characterized and classified through the lens of the developed rather than through the eyes of the developing.” – g7+ Statement, 10 April 2010, Dili, Timor-Leste The g7+ was formed in response to a gap identified by conflict-affected states in the achievement of Millennium Development Goals and service delivery. Despite generous assistance from development partners, the effectiveness of the assistance has not been significant.

Having learned difficult lessons through the experience of conflict or disaster, and seeking to transition to the next stage of development, our members recognized that conflict-affected states are best positioned to learn from one another about these hard-won experiences and collectively advocate for contextually tailored development policies for our countries. To this end, on 10 April 2010 in Dili, Timor-Leste, the inaugural meeting of the g7+ was held, during which members expressed the will to establish the group as an international organization and continue meeting and sharing experiences. The group’s vision for peacebuilding and statebuilding was recognized and set out in the Dili Declaration (April 2010). Members have since continued to expand and deepen their understanding of fragility, the challenges they face and the potential they possess. The New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States , agreed by the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding , of which the g7+ is a critical constituency in partnership with development partners, is the most prominent call for a step-change in international assistance to countries affected by conflict and fragility.

However, the g7+ has also continued advocacy efforts in other fora; critical junctures in our journey include Ministerial meetings conducted in Juba, South Sudan (October 2011), Port-au-Prince, Haiti (November 2012) and Lomé, Togo (May 2014). In addition, the g7+ engages with multilateral organizations such as the World Bank Group, the IMF, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, G20, the International Labour Organisation and the African Union. In this way, the g7+ has helped build momentum for reforms in the way in which the international community engages with conflict-affected states. Today, the g7+ is building a strong and respected platform, working in concert with international development partners, the private sector, civil society, the media and people across countries, borders and regions to reform international engagement in development in member countries. The following timeline illustrates the g7+ Journey to global recognition and relevance.

Paris Declaration On Aid Effectiveness March 2005 Paris, France The Paris Declaration outlines five fundamental principles for making aid more effective Fragile States Principles May 2007 The Principles provide a framework to guide international actors in achieving better results in the most challenging development contexts. Kinshasa Statement June 2008 Kinshasa, DRC A roundtable discussion on conflict and fragility cochaired by HE Olivier Kamitatu, Minister of Planning of DRC and by France. Hon. Kamitatu also takes the leadership of the group which will later become known as the g7+. 3rd High Level Forum On Aid Effectiveness October 2008 Accra, Ghana 7 countries offered to pilot the 10 principles of 2007. These were: Afghanistan, Central African Republic, DRC, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste. Paris Meeting December 2008 Paris, France The initial idea of forming the g7+ starts to take shape. 12 countries were present at this informal meeting. g7+ Inaugural Meeting And 1st IDPS Meeting April 2010 Dili, Timor-Leste Dili Declaration issued.

Chad, Burundi, Liberia, Southern Sudan, Guinea Conakry, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Nepal and Togo join the g7+. The g7+ secretariat is established in Dili and Hon. Kamitatu hands over the leadership of the g7+ to HE Emilia Pires, Minister of Finance of Timor-Leste. Ghana Meeting Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia and PNG joined the group. 2nd IDPS Meeting 1st g7+ Ministerial Meeting 2011 May 2011 Juba, South Sudan The ministers of the g7+ meet for the first time in newly independent South Sudan. Endorsement Of The New Deal For Engagement In Fragile States. October 2011 Busan, Korea World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings April 2012 Washington DC, USA For the first time g7+ Ministers meet the President of the World Bank as a group. High Level Side Event On ‘The New Deal: g7+ Perspectives And Experiences’ September 2012 New York, USA Held at the UN General Assembly and attended by more than 300 participants.

World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings October 2012 Tokyo, Japan Dr Kim, President of the World Bank, agrees to meet with g7+ ministers every 6 months. 2nd g7+ Ministerial Meeting The Haiti Declaration is published and Comoros joins the g7+. ‘Development For All’ Conference February 2013 Dili, Timor-Leste Commitment to ensure peace and security goals are included in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Dili Consensus is issued. 3rd IDPS Meeting April 2013 Washington DC, USA Issuing of Washington Communique. World Bank And IMF Spring Meetings April 2013 Washington DC, USA g7+ granted observer status in the IDA17 replenishment meetings High-Level Panel On The Post-2015 Development Agenda Report Published May 2013 New York, USA Inclusion of two goals, n. 10 and 11, on ‘Ensuring Good Governance and Effective Institutions’ and ‘Ensuring Stable and Peaceful Societies’.

World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings October 2013 Tokyo, Japan First Meeting of the g7+ Ministers with the Managing Director of the IMF, Mme Christine Lagarde F to F (Fragileto Fragile) Cooperation October 2013 Dili, Timor-Leste Timor-Leste assists Guinea Bissau in the preparation for the 2014 elections. ‘Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation’ April 2014 Mexico City, Mexico g7+ publish their ‘g7+ Statement on the Progress of the New Deal’. World Bank / IMF Annual Meetings April 2014 Washington DC, USA 1st High Level workshop with g7+ and IMF. 3rd g7+ Ministerial Meeting Charter for the Institutionalization of the g7+ endorsed. 4th IDPS Meeting June 2014 Freetown, Sierra Leone g7+ ministers of Justice meet for the first time. g7+ And G20 Roundtable Discussion August 2014 Seoul, S.Korea What is the G20?

provided by the G20 Research Group The G20 The G20 is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union , with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The finance ministers and central bank governors began meeting in 1999, at the suggestion of the G7 finance ministers in response to the global financial crisis of 1997-99. Since then, there has been a finance ministerial meeting every fall. On November 14-15, 2008, U.S. President George W. Bush invited the leaders of the G20 countries — creating the first ever G20 summit — to Washington DC to coordinate the global response to the aftermath of the financial crisis that had in the United States. At that meeting, the leaders agreed to meet again. Thus British prime minister Gordon Brown hosted the second G20 summit in London on April 1-2, 2009. This was followed by the third G20 summit hosted by U.S.

president Barack Obama in Pittsburgh on September 24-25, 2009, with a fourth summit to be co-chaired by Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper and Korean president Lee Myung-bak in Toronto on June 26-27, 2010. In January 2010, at a meeting of the G20 leaders' personal representatives (sherpas) in Mexico, it was decided that after the sixth summit — scheduled for November 11-12, 2010, and hosted by Korea -- the G20 leaders would begin meeting once annually, in the fall, beginning in France in 2011. Mexico will chair the G20 in 2012. To help prepare these summits, the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors continue to meet on their own, on the occasion of the spring and sometimes also the fall meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and again in the final weeks before the summit. What Is the G20?

See also G20 Backgrounder The new Group of Twenty (G20) forum of finance ministers and central bank governors was formally created at the September 25, 1999, meeting of the G7 Finance Ministers. It was created "as a new mechanism for informal dialogue in the framework of the Bretton Woods institutional system, to broaden the dialogue on key economic and financial policy issues among systemically significant economies and to promote cooperation to achieve stable and sustainable world growth that benefits all" (G7 1999). To launch the G20 at its first ministerial meeting in Berlin in December 1999, the G7 finance ministers were to invite "counterparts from a number of systemically important countries from regions around the world," as well as representative of the EU, IMF and World Bank. The formal birth of the G20 can be traced to the leaders' G7 Statement at their Cologne Summit on June 18, 1999.

There they declared, following passages welcoming the creation of the Financial Stability Forum and the IMF's International Financial and Monetary Committee (IFMC), "the commitment to work together to establish an informal mechanism for dialogue among systemically important countries, within the framework of the Bretton Woods institutional system." The G20, from this initial formulation as the "GX" to its September 1999 birth, was the product of different approaches among G7 members. These will determine in part how the new body evolves. The French, supported by the Italians, were opposed to the very creation of the G20, for fear that it would undermine the authority of the IMF, which their compatriot Michel Camdessus headed, and the new International and Monetary Financial Committee (IMFC) which they preferred. The USA and Japan were very much in favour of the new body. Britain, while supportive, was somewhat reserved, for fear that the G20 might undercut in practice the prominence of the new IFMC, which Britain's finance minister Gordon Brown was chosen to initially chair. Their early emphasis was on restricting the discussions to be held within the new body.

Canada was supportive, in part because it wished to see a broader consultative structure that was more formalized, linked to other institutions, and less controlled by the USA and its preferences than it perceived the earlier G22, created at President Clinton's initiative at the November 1997 APEC leaders' meeting, to have been. The G20 is chaired for its first two years by Canadian Finance Minister Paul Martin. As outlined by Martin, the G20 "fulfills the commitment by G7 leaders at the June 1999 Summit at Koln "to establish an informal mechanism for dialogue among systemically important countries within the framework of the Bretton Woods institutional system" (Canada 1999). Its mandate is to "promote discussion and study and review policy issues among industrialized countries and emerging markets with a view to promoting international financial stability." Its initial 18 country members consisted, in addition to the G7, of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Korea, and Turkey. Canada would host the second meeting in 2000.

The chair would rotate among participants with two year terms, and with the initial chairs being chosen from among the G7 countries. The G20 includes of the G7 countries, and eleven other countries (including G8 member Russia), with broad regional balance, for example, with China, Australia, India, and Korea from the Asian region. One of two unfilled country positions was reserved for Indonesia, which would be awarded it once and if its stable democratic transition were completed and current G7 concerns about its political and human rights abuses ended. While other Asian countries, notably Malaysia, were claiming a place, some among the G7 felt that Asian countries such as Thailand would, on the grounds of size and the absence of currency controls, be better suited. In the diplomacy designing the new institution, China had pride of place. During this process there was never any serious consideration of excluding China from the group. It was seen to rank above Argentina, Mexico, Korea, Turkey, and as a country that might some day overtake Canada and Italy. While there was much discussion about membership, no one's list excluded China. In contrast, some lists excluded Australia, Korea, Turkey and Saudi Arabia (although the latter's provision of ample funding proved decisive in the end).

The G20 was created as a deliberative rather than decisional body, but one designed to encourage 'the formation of consensus" on international issues" (Canada 1999). However it was one with a policy focus, a mandate to promote international financial stability. Chair Paul Martin suggested it "will focus on translating the benefits of globalization into higher incomes and better opportunities everywhere," including working people around the world (Beattle 1999). Although concentrating on longer term rather than immediate policy issues, Martin declared: "There is virtually no major aspect of the global economy or international financial system that will be outside of the group's purview" (Beauchesne 1999). Its relationship with other bodies also suggested a robust role for its members. It would operate within the framework of the Bretton Woods institutions, involve their representatives (including the Chair of the Interim and Development Committees) and the EU fully in its substantive discussions, in order to ensure that its work was "well integrated." It would "help co-ordinate the activities of other international groups and organizations, such as the Financial Stability Forum," "facilitate deliberations in the new International and Monetary Financial Committee, and potentially develop "common positions on complex issues ...

to expedite decisionmaking in other fora." Its potential importance was further suggested by its institutional characteristics. These included the firm control of the chair by the G7, the two year rotational cycle, the linkage of its meetings to those of the G7 meetings at the start of each year, the presence of a deputies process to prepare for and support the meetings, its ability to call on the resources of the IMF, World Bank and outside experts, and its ability to "form working parties to examine and make recommendations on issues related to its mandate." The early emphases by the Canadian chair suggested an effort to turn the new institution into an influential forum. The Canadians initially considered the possibility of holding the second ministerial meeting in June 2000, a mere six months after the first. They further contemplated holding it in Toronto, despite fears that this could detract from the lead-up to the G7 finance ministers meeting and G7/G8 Summit in Japan in July. The Canadian hoped that the timing and location would better enable the new Group, whose conclusions could be recorded in a Chair's Statement, to influence the G7/G8 meeting itself. Substantively, the central Canadian objective was to avoid having the body generate the traditional north-south divide.

Canada thus wanted to keep the Group focused on sharing experiences, and open discussion, rather than the statement of hard positions. Their emphasis was heightened by the views of some, such as another newly included finance minister, who saw the new Group as an excellent opportunity for the "South" to press its issues against the "North." There are thus concerns about whether this fledgling Group constitutes a sufficient degree and form of institutionalized association with the G7. One doubt arises from the view of some who see the G20 as part of the "G7-ization" of the world. In this view, the G20 was born to legitimate G7 initiatives to the wider world, by securing a broader consensus for G7-generated ideas. The G20's eleven non-G7 members are thus destined to affect issues merely on the margin, to be informed of G7 initiatives, and to be given some semblance of participation. The G20 underscores the fact that the G7 does not want to leave the reform of the international financial system to the IMF or World Bank, where developing countries have an institutionalized role.

Adapted from " The G7, China and the International Financial System , " Paper presented at an International Think Tank Forum on "China in the Twenty-First Century," China Development Institute, November 10-12, 1999. References G7/G8, G20 - European Commission European Commission About Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs G7/G8, G20 The G7/G8 and the G20 play an important role in global economic and financial governance in key areas where the Community's competence is long-standing and where EU strategic interests are at stake. It is therefore important to ensure an appropriate representation of the EU both in the G7/G8 and the G20. G7/G8 At its beginnings, the G7 was an informal gathering of heads of state and governments of the world's most advanced economies (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States). It started at Rambouillet in 1975 at the initiative of French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. The European Commission has regularly taken part in all sessions since the Ottawa Summit of 1981.

In the early stages, members of the G7 were accompanied at meetings by their foreign and finance ministers. In 1998, the British Presidency decided to separate the ministerial meetings from the original summit in order to keep the original concept of a small, informal gathering. In the same year, Russia joined what then became the G8. Since 2005, the G8 has been holding dialogues with the major emerging economies of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa. Alongside the summits there are regular meetings of the G8 foreign ministers to discuss foreign policy issues. Other ministers (e.g. labour, environment, development, etc.) also meet, in general once a year, in the G8 framework. G8 finance ministers meet once a year before the actual summit (both the Commission and Russia attend this gathering). However, finance ministers also meet in general three more times (early in the year, and at the margin of the spring and annual meetings of the international financial institutions), in a G7 (instead of a G8) framework.

The European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the President of the Eurogroup now participate at the entirety of the G7 meetings The EU and the G7/G8 The G7/8 deals with such issues as: global economic outlook and macroeconomic management, international trade, energy, climate change, and relations with developing countries. Recently, the summit agenda has broadened considerably to include a host of political-security issues ranging from human rights through regional security to arms control. In many of these areas, the Community has a competence, either exclusive or shared with its Member States. That is why the Commission now participates fully in the G7 finance ministers’ meeting. The weight of the Union in the global economy, the introduction of the euro, and the protection of the strategic external interests of the EU require the full participation of the Union, including the Commission, in the entire G7 process. G20 The G20 is an informal forum that promotes open and constructive discussion between industrial and emerging-market countries on key issues related to global economic stability.

It was created as a response both to the financial crises of the late 1990s and a growing recognition that key emerging-market countries were not adequately represented at the core of global economic discussion and governance. At ministerial level, the members of the G20 are the finance ministers and central bank governors of 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The European Union is also a member, represented by the European Commission and the European Central Bank. To tackle the financial and economic crisis that spread across the globe in 2008, the G20 members were called upon to further strengthen international cooperation. Accordingly, G20 Summits at Leaders’ level have been held since then, where the EU is represented by the European Council President and the European Commission President.

The EU and the G20 The G20 exerts significant and growing influence in areas where the Community’s competence exists and where strategic interests of the EU are at stake, such as multilateral trade issues, regional integration, financing for development, combating the financing of terrorism or exchange-rate issues. At present, the European Commission participates in the G20 summits, the ministerial meetings, the meetings at deputies' level and in the G20 working groups The full participation of the Commission to the G20 is warranted because it is entrusted with the representation of EU members in some key policies and prepares and enforces legislation or steers Member States' co-operation in areas of interest to the G20. Additional tools G7 | FAQs FAQs Interesting facts about the G7 FAQs Where are more information about the G7? Who or what is the G7? The Group of Seven (G7) comprises seven leading industrialised nations: the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Germany. In addition, the European Union sends representatives to all the meetings. The summits give the heads of state and government the opportunity to discuss their respective positions in personal meetings.

A summit declaration containing the key outcomes is issued at the end of each summit meeting, sometimes along with additional reports and action plans. Participants discuss issues that are of global importance, including global economic issues and foreign, security and development policy. They also address those issues that require political action and that generate widespread public interest. to the top What are the goals of the G7 The G7 sees itself as a community of values that stands for peace, security and a self-determined life all around the world. Freedom and human rights, democracy and the rule of law, as well as prosperity and sustainable development are key principles of the G7. to the top Where and when will the G7 Summit 2015 be held? Germany assumed the G7 Presidency in early June 2014. The G7 Summit 2015 will take place on 7 and 8 June 2015 in Schloss Elmau. Elmau is in the municipality of Krün in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Upper Bavaria. to the top Why will there be no G8 Summit? Why is Russia not taking part?

In March 2014 the G7 decided that, in view of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, meaningful discussions within the context of the G8 are currently not possible. Since then the meetings have continued in the G7 format. By taking this decision the G7 emphasised that it is a community of values that cannot accept a breach of international law. That is why the G7 met in Brussels for a summit on 4 and 5 June 2014 instead of taking part in the planned G8 summit in Sochi, Russia. How did the G7/G8 originate? How did the G7/G8 originate? In 1975 the then French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and the then German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt invited other countries to join them for the first World Economic Summit, which later evolved into the G7 and then the G8. Six heads of state and government met for what was known as a fireplace meeting at the Château de Rambouillet in France. The other founding members of this Group of Six (G6) were the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan and the United States of America.

When Canada joined in 1976, it became the Group of Seven (G7). Russia became the eighth member at the 1998 Summit in Birmingham, UK, turning the G7 into the G8. to the top Why were these summits felt to be necessary? Because of the economic problems the countries were faced with in the 1970s: the first oil crisis and the breakdown of the system of fixed currency exchange rates. The first meeting served to exchange ideas on possible solutions. The countries taking part reached agreement on international economic policy and first measures for reversing the ongoing global economic downturn. to the top Why do the leaders meet in such remote places as Schloss Elmau and not in a capital city like Berlin? G7 summit meetings are not ceremonious state visits that follow a strict protocol and have huge delegations and predetermined procedures. The focus is on an intensive exchange between those taking part. Each participant is to be able to talk to each of the others in a relaxed atmosphere. to the top Why can’t they simply hold a web conference? Web conferences are used to exchange facts. They are not conducive to creating the informal, relaxed atmosphere in which ideas are formed and trust is established.

The event would take on a completely different character. to the top What issues will be on the agenda in Elmau? The global economy, as well as key issues of foreign, security and development policy are on each G7 agenda. The two big UN conferences that will be held in 2015 will also be high on the agenda: The international climate conference in Paris in late November/early December at which a new international climate convention is to be negotiated, and the conference on the post-2015 agenda for sustainable development that will be held in September and at which new development and sustainability goals for the period after 2015 are to be adopted. On Germany’s initiative other topics such as trade, environmental and health issues, gender equality and security of energy supply will also be discussed at the summit in Schloss Elmau. What concrete global problems will be discussed? Protecting the marine environment, marine biodiversity and environmental sustainability/resource protection Combating antibiotic resistance and effectively fighting neglected and poverty-related diseases (e.g.

Ebola) Factoring in labour, health and environmental protection in retail and supplier chains around the world Promoting women’s self-employment and supporting the vocational training of women in developing countries to the top Will there be meetings other than that between the heads of state and government? The following meetings of G7 ministers are planned in the run-up to the summit in Schloss Elmau as part of the German G7 Presidency: A meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Lübeck on 14/15 April 2015, A meeting of the G7 energy ministers in Hamburg on 11/12 May 2015, A meeting of the G7 finance ministers in Dresden from 27 to 29 May 2015. to the top Have only members of the G7 been invited to the summit? Other guests will be invited to the summit of the heads of state and government to discuss specific topics as part of what is known as the expanded dialogue. There is a long tradition of involving third countries and international organisations in G7 summits. The heads of state and government of various African nations are invited to one of the sessions.

The G7 in Schloss Elmau will support the African states in their reform efforts. The aim is to contribute to boosting peace, security, growth and sustainable development in Africa. Before the summit in Elmau the German Chancellor will be meeting representatives from business, the scientific community, trade unions, non-governmental organisations and young people from the G7 countries. to the top Why will the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council be there? The first meetings between the European Community and the G7 were held in London in 1977. Since the Ottawa Summit in 1981 the European Commission has regularly attended all the working sessions. The EU shares all the G7’s values and is itself an important economic factor. to the top Why is the EU only a participant? Because the EU, unlike the other members of the G7, is a supranational organisation and not a sovereign state. However, it has the same privileges and obligations. The EU is one of the world’s key economic areas. It is also increasingly addressing security policy issues. to the top How much will the G7 Summit 2015 cost?

It is not yet clear how much the G7 Summit 2015 will actually cost, and that won’t become apparent until after the summit is over. to the top How does the G7 work? The G7 is not an international organisation, but what is known as an unofficial forum. That means that it does not adopt resolutions that have direct legal effect. The G7 has neither its own administrative apparatus with a permanent secretariat nor someone who acts as its members’ permanent representative. That is why the rotating presidency is so important. to the top How does the G7 reach its decisions? The G7 do not reach decisions by majority vote. The countries have to reach unanimous agreement on their summit declaration. Even if the decisions are not legally binding, their global impact should not be underestimated. to the top What can the G7 achieve? The decisions the G7 takes in full view of the world have a huge political impact. Experts refer to this as their binding effect. At home, the heads of state and government are also measured by what they achieve and agree at G7 meetings. to the top Who prepares the summit meetings? The country holding the presidency is responsible for organising the annual summit and for drawing up the summit agenda.

The governments’ chief negotiators, known as sherpas, do the preparatory and follow-up work. They establish on which issues agreement can be reached and where there is still need for discussion, and they prepare the final declarations containing the key outcomes of the summit. to the top Who is Germany’s sherpa? Germany’s sherpa is the economic and financial policy advisor to the German Chancellor, Lars-Hendrik Röller. He is supported by the sherpa staff, which is based in the Federal Chancellery. The sherpa and his staff draw up the agenda for the German G7 Presidency, in close cooperation with the federal ministries. Is the meeting at Schloss Elmau the first summit to be held in Germany? No. Germany has previously hosted five G7/G8 summits: in Bonn in 1978 to the top Why was Schloss Elmau chosen as the venue for the summit? Schloss Elmau meets all the traffic- and security-related requirements of a G7 summit venue. It is a well-known fact that a good atmosphere is conducive to creating an environment for successful talks. to the top What long-term effects will the summit have on tourism in Bavaria?

The G7 Summit 2015 provides an excellent opportunity to show that Bavaria is a perfect host and attractive tourist destination. The impression they get of Bavaria will promote international interest in the region, generating free, worldwide advertising. to the top Will the region also benefit in the short term? The G7 Summit 2015 will ensure that those accompanying people to the summit, the security forces, journalists and other representatives of the media, as well as logistics and service providers will book an estimated several thousand hotel beds. to the top Will consideration be given to nature conservation? One of the reasons why Elmau was chosen was because nature and culture blend wonderfully there. The Bavarian State Government is aware of the huge significance of the natural landscape around Elmau. Unavoidable impacts will be kept to an absolutely essential minimum. Where they cannot be avoided in a particular case, countermeasures will be taken so as to ensure a neutral ecological balance. to the top Who is responsible for security during the G7 summit? The Bavarian police will be responsible for security during the summit. They will be backed up by the Federal Police. to the top How many police officers will be on duty?

There will be as many police officers on duty as are necessary to guarantee security at the event. to the top Are there likely to be any demonstrations during the summit? The right to assemble peacefully and unarmed is a basic right laid down in the German Constitution, the Basic Law. The police in Bavaria will guarantee that the summit proceeds safely, the population is protected and the right to freedom of assembly is observed. to the top Will the local population be restricted in their movements? Security-related restrictions should be few and of short duration. They will be kept to an absolutely essential minimum and will take account of nature and landscape protection. to the top Will there be road traffic restrictions? Some road blocks will be necessary for certain periods of time. They will lead to restrictions both in regard to private and public transport. However, traffic obstructions will be kept to an absolutely essential minimum. to the top How will the public be kept up to date? The Bavarian Ministry of the Interior and the security authorities will keep the population up to date on all obstructions to traffic: locally, via the media and on the internet. The police have also set up a hotline.

Locals, tourists and businesses can ring 0800-7766330 free of charge on weekdays between 9 am and 7 pm to ask the police any questions they may have. What is the G20 and how does it work? What is the G20 and how does it work? Pedestrians pass signage advertising the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China Credit: Bloomberg 3 September 2016 • 10:47am What is the G20? The Group of Twenty (G20) is an international forum that brings together the world's leading industrialised and emerging economies. The group accounts for 85 per cent of world GDP and two-thirds of its population. Much of the important business takes place on the sidelines and in informal meetings. Initially attendance at G20 summits was limited to the finance ministers and central bank governors of members, when it was established 17 years ago.

Watch | World leaders family photo at the G20 summit in Brisbane 01:21 But since an inaugural meeting between G20 leaders in Washington DC following the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, summits between G20 leaders themselves have become an annual event. The first G20 summit occurred in Berlin, in December 1999 and was hosted by the German and Canadian finance ministers. Since then there have been 18 G20 meetings between finance ministers and central bank governors, and 10 summits between heads of state or government of G20 economies. The next summit of G20 leaders is scheduled for Hangzhou, China , from 4-5 September 2016. It is the first to be hosted by China, only the second in Asia, and has been hailed as a “milestone” in the country’s development and symbolic of its growing importance as a major power. Which countries are members of the G20? The G20 is made up of: Argentina China South Africa The final member is the European Union, represented by the European Commission, rotating Council presidency and the European Central Bank (ECB).

Spain as a permanent non-member invitee also attends leader summits. Other countries also attend summits at the invitation of the host country, while it has become customary for the Chair of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and representatives of the African Union and NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) to be present at leader summits. How often do they meet? Meetings tend to occur on an annual basis; however leaders met twice a year in 2009 and 2010, when the global economy was in crisis. The last meeting between finance ministers and central bank governors was held in Chengdu, China, in July 2016. The next summit of G20 leaders is scheduled for Hangzhou, China, from 4-5 September 2016. Credit: Reuters Why isn’t every country invited? Fearing deadlock in a larger decision-making body, not all countries are invited to the G20. How does the G20 differ from the G8? The Group of Eight (G8), established as the G7 in 1976 but renamed after the admission of Russia in 1998, is an international forum for the eight major industrial economies.

It comprises: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. However since 2014 Russian membership has been suspended following the country’s annexation of Crimea. The G8 seeks cooperation on economic issues facing the major industrial economies, while the G20 reflects the wider interests of both developed and emerging economies. Watch | Xi Jinping: how the Chinese president spent his formative years living in a cave 01:55 Who chairs the G20 summit? The G20 has no permanent staff of its own and its chairmanship rotates annually between nations divided into regional groupings. China holds the chairmanship in 2016, with Germany to take over in 2017, and India the year after. Hosting the summit is an opportunity to set the agenda and lead discussions. In 2009, when the UK held a special spring summit, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown orchestrated a deal in which world leaders agreed on a $1.1 trillion injection of financial aid into the global economy. The “historic” deal was widely viewed as a success. Do all member countries exert equal influence?

There are no formal votes or resolutions on the basis of fixed voting shares or economic criteria. However, the lines of informal influence in the organisation trace those of major power politics. US President Barack Obama dominated the 2014 Brisbane summit, placing climate change at the top of the agenda, despite the reluctance of host nation Australia’s then Prime Minister Tony Abbott to allow the issue such pride of place.

Question: In which country was the world G7 Conference held in 2008?
Answer: U.S.A